Sliding door assembly

ABSTRACT

A sliding glass panel held by only two side rails removably and adjustably mounted on a track. An identical female recess on both ends of each rail, for removably and adjustably mounting an upper male hanger by a spring clip and for removably mounting a lower guide member, respectively.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 Laby Dec. 10, 1974 [5 SLIDING DOORASSEMBLY 3,098,698 7/1963 Glynn 49 501 x 7 48 41968 K ll h l 49 501 [75]Inventor Lab)" Oaks 32251 11 171 3/1972 49/4149 x Calif.

[73] Assignee: American Shower Door Co., Inc., P i E i K l B llHollywood Calm Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Harris, Kern, Wallen & [22Filed: Dec. 11, 1972 Tmsley 21 Appl. No.: 314,226

[57] ABSTRACT [52] [1.5. CI 49/409, 16/91, 16/105 A sliding glass panelheld by only two side rails remov- [51] Int. Cl E05d 13/02 ably andadjustably mounted on a track. An identical [58] Field of Search49/4094l 1; female recess on both ends of each rail, for removably16/87, 90, 91, 94, 95, 99, 105, l06 and adjustably mounting an uppermale hanger by a spring clip and for removably mounting a lower guide[56] References Cited member, respectively. 2 784 445 UMTED STATESPATENTS 12 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures 3/1957 Greig et al. 49/410 XPATENIEDBEI: 10 I974 SHEET 10F 2 7,"??? 4 III 1 SLIDING DOOR ASSEMBLYThis invention relates in general to sliding door assemblies and isparticularly applicable to sliding glass tub enclosures mounted byhangers in a top track and guide members in a lower track.

Prior art sliding doors, and particularly conventional sliding glass tubenclosures have employed relatively complicated apparatus for mountingand hanging the glass panels in top and bottom tracks. Rails or framingmembers have usually been required on all four edges of the slidingglass panel. During recent years, the safety provisions of many buildingcodes have required safety glass such as tempered glass for tubenclosures, thereby eliminating the need for such rails or framingmembers. Nevertheless, it has still been necessary to drill holes in theglass panels in order to mount the hangers. In addition, verticallyadjustable hangers for both glass and plastic panels have been undulycomplicated and unimaginative and have usually required the unscrewingof mounting nuts or the like in order to provide any verticaladjustment.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to simplifythe aforementioned prior art sliding door assemblies and provide asliding glass panel held by only side rails mounted in a top track byvertically adjustable hangers and in a bottom track by a guide member,thereby eliminating the top and bottom rails as well as the need fornuts, bolts, or screws.

It is another object of the invention to provide a glass panel which canbe easily and securely mounted by adhesive between side rails byautomated equipment. A related object is to provide side rails havingsubstantially identical top and bottom ends, thereby eliminating theneed of end-for-end orientation of the rails, both at the time the railsare attached to the glass panel as well as at the time the glass panelsare mounted in the top and bottom tracks.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide side rails havinga rearward reinforcing portion with upper and lower female sections forreceiving a male hanger member and a male guide member, respectively,and a forward gripping portion with lateral projections extendingforwardly in a normally inward tapered position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sliding door assemblyhaving the aforementioned characteristics wherein a stop member such asa spring clip is removably mounted on the top female member of the siderail for lateral movement from a normally closed position of engagementwith a male hanger member to an open position of disengagement. Arelated object is to provide a plurality of vertically spaced slots inthe male hanger for engagement by the spring clip.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive anddurable sliding door assembly having a minimum of parts, so that theglass panels can be mounted by automated equipment between side rails ata factory and then shipped with the necessary number of hangers, springclips, guides, tracks and jambs for quick and easy assembly at thedestination point, and where any worn out or inoperative part in acompletely assembled unit can be easily replaced.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the invention will beevident to those skilled in the art from the following description of apreferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a partially cut-away view of an installed unitincorporating a presently preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a side sectional view of the hanger portion of FIG. 1 takenalong the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a top sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a presently preferred form of springclip;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative form of spring clip;

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the guide portion of FIG. 1 takenalong the line 66 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a top sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top sectional view of a side rail before attachment to aglass panel;

FIG. 9 is a top sectional view showing a glass panel partially insertedin a side rail; and

FIG. 10 is a top sectional view showing a glass panel completelyinserted in a side rail.

Generally speaking, the invention includes a sheet of material which hasa panel, typically a glass panel made of tempered glass or other safetyglass, held between a pair of opposite edge members such as side rails22 each of which is mounted in a header or top track 24 by a hanger 26held in position at the top end of the side rail by a stop member suchas a clip 28. The bottom end of each side rail 22 carries a guide 30 andrides in a lower track 32. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of glass panels 20so mounted in top and bottom tracks 24, 32 can be moved back and forthin the tracks to open and close the space between a pair of jambs, oneof which is shown 34.

Referring specifically now to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, the side rails 22 havebeen designed to hold and grip the glass panel 20 therebetween withoutthe need for any rails on the top or bottom of the panel, and withoutthe need of any screws, nuts or bolts. The exemplary form of side railsshown in the drawings includes a rearward portion 36 having front, backand side vertical walls 38, 40 and 42, respectively, and a forwardportion 44 having lateral projections '46. Both the rearward portion 36and the forward portion 44 preferably extend the full length of the siderails 22 and the glass panel 20 held therebetween. The rearward andforward portions 36, 44 may be formed of a single piece of material,such as aluminum, so that the forward portion is integral with therearward portion. The front, back and sidewalls 38, 40, 42 all extendlongitudinally in the same direction, with the sidewalls defining afirst set of parallel planes and the front and back walls defining asecond set of parallel planes substantially perpendicular to the firstset. The outside corner 48 of the junction between the back wall 40 andeach sidewall 42 may be rounded, while the inside corner 50 may beenlarged to form a longitudinal slot 52 on the inside surface of theback wall. The lateral projections 46 are symmetrically shaped toprovide a pair of short inwardly tapered sections 54 connected to thejunctions between the front wall 38 and the sidewalls 42, a pair ofmiddle sections 56 which are tapered inwardly but at a lesser angle, anda pair of flaired forward ends 57 having diverging portions 58 adjacentto the middle section 56 and short forward end sections 60 which aresubstantially aligned with and parallel to the sidewalls 42. Althoughsuitable side rails may be designed which do not have back and sidevertical walls 40, 42, such walls provide the necessary structure formounting the hanger 26 and guide 30 as well as providing added strengthto the side rails.

In a typically automated assembly operation, a bead of adhesive 62 isdispensed between the lateral projections 46 in the cavity defined bythe front wall 38 and the short inwardly tapered sections 54 the fulllength of a side rail 22 (see FIG. 9). A glass panel 20 is then insertedbetween the flaired sections 57 and forced between the middle section 56to flex the lateral projections 46 outwardly from their normal position(see FIG. 9). By forcing the glass panel 20 further into the spacebetween the lateral projections 46, the adhesive 62 is squeezed into thespaces between the glass panel and the surrounding lateral projectionsso as to provide a seal between the glass panel and the side rail aswell as provide a resilient cushion therebetween and also between theglass panel and the front wall 38. The space between the glass panel andthe faired forward ends 57 need not be filled with adhesive, butprovides a space for overflow of adhesive to pass into, thus providingan additional bond between the glass panel and the lateral projections46 without visibly detracting from the appearance of the glass paneladjacent the side rails. It will therefore be appreciated that thedimensions and shaping of the side rails provide a safe and secure meansof holding the glass panel without having to use conventionl fastenerssuch as nuts and bolts, and without having to use top and bottom rails.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the clip 28 is made of a strip ofspring material which is folded back on itself and bent in apredetermined fashion to form a rear leg 64, a rearward loop 66 at thefolding back junction, a front leg 68, flange 70, a forward loop 72, anda second flange 74. The rear and front legs 64, 68 define a pair ofspaced apart parallel planes connected on top by the rearward loop 66,and with the first flange 70 at the lower end of the front leg 68 andextending toward and normal to the rear leg 64. The forward loop 72 isconnected to the bottom of the rear leg 64 and extends forwardlyunderneath and adjacent to the first flange 70 and comes back uponitself to terminate in the second flange 74 which extends obliquely in arearward direction from the plane defined by the reear leg 64. Apertures76 are provided in the back wall 40 a short distance from both ends ofthe side rails 22 so that by spreading the rear and front legs 64, 68 ofthe clip apart, the clip can be pushed down on both sides of the backwall 40 until it locks in position such that the first flange 70 and theforward loop 72 rest in the aperture 76 with the forward loop projectinginto the rearward portion 36 of the side rail 22 and the second flange74 extending obliquely from the aperture on the outside of the rearwardportion. The width of the clip 28 is sized so that the front leg 68 canrest in the longitudinal slot 52 of the back wall 40.

FIG. shows an alternative form of clip 28 wherein the rearward loop 66has been eliminated and including a modified triangular shaped forwardloop 72a. Other clips of varying shapes or other stop members may bedesigned for engaging the hanger 26, all within the scope of the presentinvention.

The hanger 26 carries a roller 78 on its top end and includes a lowerrod 80 having a rectangular crosssection sized to fit between the front,back and sidewalls 38, 40, 42 of the rearward portion 36 of the siderails 22 when the front leg 68 .is resting in the longitudinal slot 52.A plurality of vertically spaced slots or notches 82 are on the rearwardface of the lower rod for engagement by the forward loop 72 of the clip28. A bevel 84 is provided on the rearward face of the rod between thefirst notch and the end of the rod.

It will therefore be appreciated that after the clip 28 has been mountedon the back wall 40 with the forward loop 72 extending through theaperture 76, the rearward portion 36 of the side rail can be consideredas a female member, and the hanger considered as a male member which canbe inserted in the vertical passage of the female member until the bevel84 laterally displaces the forward loop 72. When the forward loop 72 isadjacent the first notch, the spring force of the clip locks the forwardloop into the notch. If it is necessary to raise the glass panel furtheroff the bottom track, such as to have the side of the panel be parallelto the jamb 34, the forward loop 72 can be retracted to an open positionof disengagement by manually pulling on the second flange 74 while thehanger is pushed downwardly. When the proper notch 82 is adjacent theaperture 76, the second flange 74 can be released thereby allowing theforward loop to snap back into locking position against the hanger. Ofcourse, the foregoing adjustable and removable hanger mounting structuremay be useful for sliding panels made of plastic or other materials aswell as for glass panels held between side rail members.

The guide 30 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) is preferably made of spring plasticand includes a base 86, a vertical flange 88 along one edge of the base,spaced apart back and front vertical legs 90, 92, and a rearward flange94 on the top of the back leg 90. A bevel 96 on the top end of theforward face of the front leg 92 allows both legs 90, 92 and therearward flange 94 to be inserted in the rearward portion 36 of the siderail 22 as the front and back legs are squeezed together. The guide 30has a predetermined size so that when the rearward flange 94 reaches theaperture 76 and snaps into position in the aperture, the base 86 abutsagainst the bottom of the front, back and sidewalls 38, 40, 42 with thevertical flange 88 against the outside surface of the back wall 40. Theguide can be removed by pushing the rearward flange 94 through theaperture 76 while at the same time pulling downwardly on the verticalflange 88 and the base 86. The guide prevents noise, excess wear, andfacilitates easy gliding of the panels in the lower track 32.

It will therefore be appreciated from the foregoing that the hanger 26and clip 28 can be mounted on either end of the side rails 22, and thatsimilarly the guide 30 can also be mounted on either end, therebyeliminating the need for any end-to-end orientation of the side rails orthe glass panel mounted therein.

The illustrated structure herein has been used commercially to hang asliding tempered glass tub enclosure panel 28 inches wide and 54 incheslong which weighs approximately 30 pounds, and it is also believed to becommercially applicable for heavier and/or larger panels.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been disclosed anddiscussed, it will be understood that other applications of theinvention are possible, and that the embodiment disclosed may besubjected to various changes, modifications, and substitutions withoutnecessarily departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A sliding door assembly comprising:

an overhead track;

a glass panel having opposed vertical edges the portions of said paneladjacent said edges having opposed flat surfaces;

supporting means for said panel comprising an elongated channel shapedgripping means extending along and resiliently frictionally embracingonly each of said vertical edges along the full length thereof, each ofsaid gripping means having a rearward vertical wall and forwardlyextending and converging flange portions extending into firm frictionalengagement with respective opposed flat surfaces, each of said flangeportions having outwardly flared forward edge portions; and

a hanger means at the upper end of each gripping means guiding said doorassembly along said track, said flange portions frictionally grippingsaid opposed flat surfaces with sufficient force to provide the solesupport for said glass panel. W W

2. The sliding door assembly ofclaim 1 including stop means attached tosaid rearward vertical wall portion for removably and adjustablyconnecting said hanger means with said gripping means.

3. The sliding door assembly of claim 2 wherein said hanger meansincludes vertically spaced notches and said stop means includes a springclip to engage one of said notches.

4. The sliding door assembly of claim 2 wherein,

said stop means includes a lateral mounting flange;

and

said rearward vertical wall portion includes upper wall means defining avertical passage for receiving said hanger means and including anaperture for receiving said lateral mounting flange of said stop means.I

5. The sliding door assembly of claim 4 including,

a guide member having a lateral mounting flange;

and wherein said rearward vertical wall portion includes lower wallmeans indentical to said upper wall means defining a vertical passagefor receiving said guide member and including an aperture for receivingsaid lateral mounting flange of said guide member.

6. Apparatus for mounting a sliding panel on a top track comprising: 1

two female members on the top portion of said panel and laterallydisplaced from each other;

two male members each insertable into correspond-.

ing ones of said two female members, respectively, each of said malemembers including means for riding on said track;

stop means on each of said female members for engaging each of said malemembers to hold them in a fixed position;

said stop means including spring clip means removably mounted on each ofsaid female members for movement from a normally closed position ofengagement with said male members, respectively, to an open position ofdisengagement; and

each of said spring clip means including a handle for moving each ofsaid spring clip means from said normally closed position to said openposition.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 including gripping means connected to onlythe vertical edges of said panel for holding said panel therebetween,and wherein said female members are carried on and are integral withsaid gripping means.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each of said male members includesmeans for moving each of said spring clip means from said normallyclosed position to said open position.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each of said male members includes aplurality of vertically spaced slot means for receiving said stop means.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 including two additional female members onthe bottom portion of said panel and laterally displaced from eachother, said additional female members being identical to said firstmentioned female members on the top portion of said panel, and furtherincluding two male guide members each insertable into corresponding onesof said two additional female members.

11. A sliding door assembly for hanging a glass panel with oppositevertical sides on a top track comprising:

a pair of edge members each having inwardly tapered lateral projectionmeans for engaging and gripping said vertical sides of said glass panel;

a hanger having an upper end for riding in the top track and a lower endwith vertically spaced notches;

vertical wall means on the top end of said edge members defining apassage for receiving said lower end of said hanger and including alateral aperture displaced from said top end; and

a unitary spring clip with a mounting flange on one end inserted in saidaperture, a lateral stop member on the other end extending through saidaperture to engage one of said notches of said hanger, and a middlesection extending along the inside surface, top edge and outside surfaceof that portion of said vertical wall means above said aperture.

12. In a sliding door assembly, the combination of:

an edge member engageable with a vertical edge of a glass panel;

said edge member having a vertical passage and a lateral aperturecommunicating with said passage;

a hanger having a lower end in said passage and verti' cally spacednotches each registrable with said aperture; and

a one-piece spring clip secured to said edge member and having a lateralprojection extending through said aperture into one of said notches,said projection being biased into such notch by the inherent resilienceof said spring clip, said spring clip including handle means adjacentsaid projection for withdrawing said projection from the notch in whichit is disposed.

1. A sliding door assembly comprising: an overhead track; a glass panelhaving opposed vertical edges the portions of said panel adjacent saidedges having opposed flat surfaces; supporting means for said panelcomprising an elongated channel shaped gripping means extending alongand resiliently frictionally embracing only each of said vertical edgesalong the full length thereof, each of said gripping means having arearward vertical wall and forwardly extending and converging flangeportions extending into firm frictional engagement with respectiveopposed flat surfaces, each of said flange portions having outwardlyflared forward edge portions; and a hanger means at the upper end ofeach gripping means guiding said door assembly along said track, saidflange portions frictionally gripping said opposed flat surfaces withsufficient force to provide the sole support for said glass panel. 2.The sliding door essembly of claim 1 including stop means attached tosaid rearward vertical wall portion for removably and adjustablyconnecting said hanger means with said gripping means.
 3. The slidingdoor assembly of claim 2 wherein said hanger means includes verticallyspaced notches and said stop means iNcludes a spring clip to engage oneof said notches.
 4. The sliding door assembly of claim 2 wherein, saidstop means includes a lateral mounting flange; and said rearwardvertical wall portion includes upper wall means defining a verticalpassage for receiving said hanger means and including an aperture forreceiving said lateral mounting flange of said stop means.
 5. Thesliding door assembly of claim 4 including, a guide member having alateral mounting flange; and wherein said rearward vertical wall portionincludes lower wall means indentical to said upper wall means defining avertical passage for receiving said guide member and including anaperture for receiving said lateral mounting flange of said guidemember.
 6. Apparatus for mounting a sliding panel on a top trackcomprising: two female members on the top portion of said panel andlaterally displaced from each other; two male members each insertableinto corresponding ones of said two female members, respectively, eachof said male members including means for riding on said track; stopmeans on each of said female members for engaging each of said malemembers to hold them in a fixed position; said stop means includingspring clip means removably mounted on each of said female members formovement from a normally closed position of engagement with said malemembers, respectively, to an open position of disengagement; and each ofsaid spring clip means including a handle for moving each of said springclip means from said normally closed position to said open position. 7.The apparatus of claim 6 including gripping means connected to only thevertical edges of said panel for holding said panel therebetween, andwherein said female members are carried on and are integral with saidgripping means.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each of said malemembers includes means for moving each of said spring clip means fromsaid normally closed position to said open position.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 6 wherein each of said male members includes a plurality ofvertically spaced slot means for receiving said stop means.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 6 including two additional female members on thebottom portion of said panel and laterally displaced from each other,said additional female members being identical to said first mentionedfemale members on the top portion of said panel, and further includingtwo male guide members each insertable into corresponding ones of saidtwo additional female members.
 11. A sliding door assembly for hanging aglass panel with opposite vertical sides on a top track comprising: apair of edge members each having inwardly tapered lateral projectionmeans for engaging and gripping said vertical sides of said glass panel;a hanger having an upper end for riding in the top track and a lower endwith vertically spaced notches; vertical wall means on the top end ofsaid edge members defining a passage for receiving said lower end ofsaid hanger and including a lateral aperture displaced from said topend; and a unitary spring clip with a mounting flange on one endinserted in said aperture, a lateral stop member on the other endextending through said aperture to engage one of said notches of saidhanger, and a middle section extending along the inside surface, topedge and outside surface of that portion of said vertical wall meansabove said aperture.
 12. In a sliding door assembly, the combination of:an edge member engageable with a vertical edge of a glass panel; saidedge member having a vertical passage and a lateral aperturecommunicating with said passage; a hanger having a lower end in saidpassage and vertically spaced notches each registrable with saidaperture; and a one-piece spring clip secured to said edge member andhaving a lateral projection extending through said aperture into one ofsaid notches, said projection being biased into such notch by theinhErent resilience of said spring clip, said spring clip includinghandle means adjacent said projection for withdrawing said projectionfrom the notch in which it is disposed.